Hey, guys! I have a terrible case of writer's block, right now. Every single story that I start just won't get finished!! I managed with this one so I decided to post it, even though it isn't Christmas for weeks and weeks, but oh well, it's something. And it's Tony and Gibbs. How about that?
Set before the show started, I think. And I don't own anything. Merry X-mas, everybody!!!
Christmas Ghosts
Gibbs slowed his stride on his way to the elevator. He stopped by a dancing, plastic Santa and hesitated for just a second before he grunted over his shoulder.
"Have a good one, Tony."
He thought the kid needed some encouragement. He had looked kind of blue today. Gibbs didn't know what his new agent had planned for Christmas, but it couldn't be anything extraordinary or the whole floor would know about it by now. Gibbs personally hated the holidays. It was just another way to remind him of what he had lost a long time ago. Holidays were for families, not for him. Not anymore.
He walked away before he could see the bewildered look on DiNozzo's face.
Tony hated the holidays. He had for as long as he could remember. "Merry" and "happy" and "beautiful" had never fit in his vocabulary when describing Christmas.
Very few people that he knew of spent the holidays alone, and those who did, did so with a longing in their heart for a family overseas or memories of back in the day and 'rest in peace'. For Tony it was just a relief that he no longer was forced to attend those stupid parties his parents always used to host; the ones where he wasn't allowed to touch anything let alone play and have fun. Mother would be happy and give him attention at first and he loved that, but pretty soon his joy would disappear along with the eggnog and brandy and every year the disappointment grew. Father would not give him more attention on this evening than on any other, which mounted up to slim to none, so no extra points there.
On the force he would have thought that his colleagues wouldn't care so much about a stupid holiday, tough metro cops and all, but it was like every human being changed and turned into a sappy, ruminating idiot in December.
'What are you doing for the holidays, DiNozzo?' That hated question. Came around every year, without fail. He had learnt to answer something vague, something that at least implied that he had somewhere to go. Otherwise came 'The Concern' or - even worse -'The Pity' , and he hated that. 'Don't you have any family here? Oh my, where are you gonna go? What ever will you do? How are you gonna survive Christmas without turkey and gifts and caroling and smothering family love?!'
Yeah. Right.
Nobody ever did get his 'what the hell is so important about Christmas?' It was all very frustrating. He found it more and more insufferable for every year.
Maybe the key word was family, because his first holiday at NCIS he suddenly did not think it was all sarcasm when Abby made him a pair of black, knitted mittens with skulls. When he received a bottle of scotch from Gibbs or Ducky's terrible Christmas pudding. It was a new way of looking at things. Strange and a little uncomfortable at first, but…nice.
Gibbs stopped on his way to the elevator. He half turned and hesitated for just a second before he said with an unusually soft voice.
"Have a good one, Tony."
He looked up at his boss suspiciously, but saw no smugness, no pity. Just 'have a good one; I'll try to'. Then he was gone.
Tony smiled then, the first genuine smile he had ever mustered during the season before.
"Merry Christmas, Boss."
Hope I didn't put you out of the Christmas spirit! Oh well, it's a way to go. You'll be fine.